What Now?
by becca343
Summary: Cat walked out and Kara was left on her own in her new office. She took a deep breath. She'd saved the world. She'd gotten a promotion. What now?
1. Chapter 1

Kara walked over to where her desk used to be. After her promotion, Kara had provided Cat with three equally qualified candidates to replace her. She looked at Dana, the one Cat had chosen and couldn't help but notice the new girl looked like her, dirty blonde hair, glasses and an unshakeable smile. Kara should've been flattered but instead she felt a strange pang in her heart. Was she that easily replaceable?

Kara shook the thought out of her head and remembered why she was standing there. "Hi Dana," Kara said. "I'd like to schedule an appointment with Miss Grant to discuss my future role here." Dana nodded and began searching through the calendar.

"You can come on in Kara," Cat called from her office. "My 11 o' clock just emailed to cancel."

Kara hurried in and sat down on the couch. Cat walked over to shut the door behind her.

"Hi Miss Grant," Kara said with a smile, that was quickly becoming a grin. She hadn't realized how much she missed her boss. "How's it going? Are you adjusting to Dana?"

"Well," Cat said, "she's not you." Kara swelled with pride. "But she's sufficient." Kara nodded. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do?"

"Yes," Kara said. "I'd like to write."

Cat nodded in approval. "Excellent choice." Cat held back a smile, realizing that if Kara were to begin writing, she'd most certainly need a mentor. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Well," Kara began shyly. "Since CatCo has become known for featuring Supergirl, I thought it might be on brand for us to start a column, "Everyday Superheroes".

"Hmmm..." Cat contemplated this idea.

"I know it's a bit cheesy but I think if-"

"I don't mind that. It's just… it needs a hook. Something to grab you in," Cat replied.

"Like..." Kara grew nervous.

Cat nodded, a grin on her face. "Supergirl needs to do it."

"What?" Kara's eyes were wide. "You told me to think of a role for myself. I doubt Super will have the time to go around interviewing people anyway. C'mon give _me_ a chance to write this."

Cat turned to face Kara on the couch. She put her hands over the younger woman's. "Kara?" She asked quietly. "Are you done?"

Kara let out a sigh. She knew. Kara nodded.

"If you don't want to," Cat continued, "you don't have to-" Cat paused not having completed her thought.

"I want Kara Danvers to be someone." Kara said quietly. "I want to build something myself, like you have," Kara gestured around the room.

"Kara," Cat began. "No matter what, Kara Danvers will be the best assistant I've ever had." Cat took a deep breath. "Kara Danvers will always be one of the most amazing women I've ever met."

Kara felt her heart beating faster. She was getting swept up in the moment but she still couldn't let this go. "Then why am I not enough?" She spit out.

Cat was surprised at that. "Not enough?" She repeated incredulously. She stood up and began to pace around the office, unable to handle all of the emotions surfacing.

"Not enough to grab in an audience. Not enough to write something cover-worthy without a photo of me with a big S across my chest." Cat's eyes went down to Kara's chest when Kara said that, but she quickly looked away. "Not enough for you to take a chance on me."

"Kara, I would take a million chances on you. I thought I made that clear when I gave you an office and told you to pick your own job," she replied. "What I won't take a chance on is your safety. And if Kara Danvers becomes half the journalist I know she can be, she will become household name and people will start to ask questions. Trust me, I know. Luckily, my secrets are less dangerous than yours."

Kara looked down at the ground. She couldn't believe that hadn't crossed her mind. She had just been so excited.

"Look if you still want to," Cat said," the choice is yours. But I hope you'll think it over. Maybe talk to your sister?" Kara nodded. "And Kara, there's also another option."

"What? I can go back to being your assistant?" Kara joked.

"Well... yes," Cat said thinking it over. "But not what I was going to say. I wanted to tell you this when I showed you your office, but well I thought it might be a little bit much. You know, finding out I knew, right after the day you'd had..." Cat lowered her voice. "... saving the world." Kara smirked. "I assume that someone as observant as yourself noticed your office is... very private. Well, that was intentional." Cat stumbled, getting hung up on the many reasons privacy could be beneficial.

"If you're offering me a place to hideaway and just be Supergirl, I can't. I don't want it. I need normal."

"Okay, but if you ever change your mind. That's okay too." Kara nodded. "Alright, I do actually have some work to do today, Kara. Go occupy yourself with, well, something."

"Yes, Miss Grant," Kara said dutifully. Cat loved the sound of that.

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"So what do you think?" Kara asked her sister, as they cracked open the Chinese food that evening.

"Well I think it's risky regardless. Writing articles as Kara, as Supergirl, either way you're drawing attention to yourself. Why couldn't you have aspired to be an accountant or something," Alex joked. Kara rolled her eyes. Alex continued, "but Cat's probably right. Supergirl is already a public figure and she's already associated with CatCo. It does make sense."

"Well then what does Kara Danvers do now then?" Kara countered. Alex sighed and thought for a moment. She came up with nothing. "It's fine," Kara said. "I'm sure Cat will have an idea."

The next morning Kara was approaching Dana's desk, when Cat waved her on in. Cat was on the phone, so Kara hesitated, but once she waved once more (this time a bit more forcefully) Kara followed the instruction. Cat held up a finger, signaling she'd be done soon and Kara sat down on the couch.

Cat hung up the phone. "Sorry Miss Grant, if this is a bad time-"

"No I'm glad you stopped by. I was just finishing up the call anyway." She took a sip of her latte and nearly spit it back out. "Dana is excellent in nearly every way," Cat admitted, "but I'm getting quite sick of her luke warm lattes. How did you-" she stopped herself, thinking it through. "You didn't... Did you?"

Kara smirked. She glanced toward the door. It was shut and there was no one in sight. She stuck out her and Cat gave her the cup. Cat was entranced as Kara removed her glasses and took off the plastic lid. Cat's jaw dropped as the beams of light shot directly into the cup. Kara put the lid back on and handed it back to her boss.

Cat stood there speechless, until she finally choked out a thank you.

"I've been thinking. And I talked to Alex. And you're right. I think this would be a safer project for Supergirl," Kara admitted. Cat nodded. "But that still leaves us with a problem. What will Kara do?"

"I thought you might ask that. Well the easiest option would be to fire you..."

"But that's off the table," Kara said forcefully. "I need time to be me. Not Supergirl."

Cat didn't argue, even though a part of her wanted to. Maybe it was Kara's recent display of powers, but she was finally seeing the younger woman as her equal.

"Okay, then I think you should be our social media coordinator," she said using air quotes while saying the job title. "We always give the bulk of that stuff to our interns anyway and lord knows when never give them credit for it. You can be in charge of all that and oversee their work."

Kara nodded. Sounded like a good enough cover. "What about the Director of Communications though. Won't he expect me to report to him?"

"Well I just fired the Director of Communications last week," Cat shared, "so..."

"What?!"

"He approved a very unflattering picture of me on CatCo's Facebook page," Cat explained. Kara sighed. "So we'll just scrape by without a Director of Communications for now. Maybe eventually James will want the role. That would work out rather well. Unless it would put you in an uncomfortable situation... romantically?" Cat had thought long and hard as to how she would work this inquiry into conversation naturally. It had worked relatively well.

"No, Miss Grant, not a problem. I'm taking a break from dating at the moment. It's been a bit hard to find time to fit men into my schedule, all things considered."

Cat let a small smile slip, before quickly composing herself. "Well perfect," she announced. "Should we pick a time to discuss your story ideas?"

Kara nodded. "Sounds great, Miss Grant," she walked to the door.

"Kara?" Cat asked. Kara turned back around. "Call me Cat," she said. "When it's just us of course."

Kara grinned, nodded and hurried out the door before Cat could change her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara took her homework from Cat seriously. She was determined to think of a story that would be meaningful, a story that would be worth Supergirl's time and worth CatCo's attention. She was reheating her pizza when inspiration struck. She dialed her sister's number and took a big bite of the pepperoni slice as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Kara mumbled, mouth full.

"Kara what have I told you about calling people when you-"

Kara swallowed. "Sorry, I'm starving, but I couldn't wait to call."

"Yes?"

"Cat says I need an interview that I have a personal connection to."

"Okay..."

"But I need to ask your permission first."

"I'm listening..."

Kara burst into Cat's office, first thing the next morning. "I gave it some thought," She announced. "And I have an idea I think you'll like."

"Wonderful," Cat said, "but first we have a more pressing issues." She looked at Kara with pleading eyes and handed her the coffee cup. Kara sighed, shut the door and warmed up the latte. "My hero," Cat said jokingly. "Now go on."

"I want to interview Riley Davis. She is the executive director of the metropolis chapter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ organization that-"

"I'm familiar with their work," Cat interrupted.

"Ok great. Well Riley worked at the suicide prevention hotline for years before transitioning to her current role. Now she does all sorts of things to promote equality. She spoke at the White House last year, published a book..."

"Doesn't sound like much of an EVERYDAY hero," Cat criticized.

"Well, I know," Kara admitted. "But it's not like she's a household name either."

"You sound passionate. That's a good start. Care to tell me why?"

Kara paused, thinking back to the moment. "That book that Riley wrote? It was an advice book for teens. It was called So You Think You Might Be Gay?. Alex kept it under her mattress, but well… when you share a room with an alien, it's hard to keep secrets." Cat nodded, listening intently. "When she was 16, her mom found the book when she was cleaning up the room. She asked Alex if they could talk about it and Alex just ran out. I've never seen my sister run from something. And I didn't know how to get her back. So I called up the LGBTQ suicide hotline..."

"And Riley picked up," Cat finished.

Kara nodded. "And I don't know how to explain it, you know? She was talking to me about coming out and it just resonated with me so much. I think because I was still in the closet with my powers and stuff, but also she just had a way of connecting with me. But anyway, I told her what was going on and you know what she did? She offered to come over. She told me to go find Alex, bring her home and she'd take care of the rest."

"And I take it she did?"

"She was like our angel," Kara said. "It was always hard to get Alex to talk when she was a teenager, especially about anything personal. But Riley? She knew just what to say and do and ask."

Kara was clearly starting to fangirl over this woman. Cat stopped her. "That's your story, Kara," she said. "But can you tell that story?"

"Alex told me I could tell you to make my case. I wouldn't have you know, outed her otherwise. But no I mean I won't write about that in CatCo, but I don't think I need to."

"Oh?"

"I'm sure Riley has done plenty of other super heroic acts in the last decade. Trust me, I'll leave with something."

"Ok," Cat said, eager to see where this story would go. "And Kara?" Kara looked at Cat. "Thanks for sharing your sister's story. Even then you were... quite heroic. I wish I'd had someone like you around when I was that age."

Kara smiled. "Good night, Miss Grant." Cat glared and Kara corrected herself. "Cat. Sorry, old habits."

The next morning, Cat entered Kara's office and shut the door. She opened the lid to her latte and set it on Kara's desk.

"You know," Kara said smiling, "there is this thing called a microwave..."

"But you just look so... cool with those beams coming out of your eyes." Cat had wanted to say hot, because it was in fact, a major turn on, but she controlled herself.

Kara shook her head and warmed up Cat's latte. "Anything else I can do for you?" She teased.

"I think that's it," Cat replied. "Did you get a date on the calendar with Riley?"

Kara nodded excitedly. "I'm meeting her tomorrow for lunch. I asked her to try to think of some memorable stories throughout her career. And you know what one she shared? A story about a younger sister who called to help her older sister through the coming out process. Can you believe that? She remembers me, ten years, later."

"Well," Cat said, "you are hard to forget." Kara was beginning to blush. She scolded herself. Of all the things she could control, why was this not one of them? She lamented. "Anyway, I'm sure you have a handle on it, but if you need any help crafting your questions, feel free to pop in," Cat offered before leaving.

************************************************************************************

Kara sat at her desk wracking her brain for questions. She was a naturally curious person. Questions came easily, but not necessarily the right questions. The questions that would get her a story good enough to impress Cat Grant.

"How's it going?" Winn asked, popping his head into her office. "I feel like I never see you anymore due to your new office cave here."

"I know," Kara replied. "It's a bit lonely," she admitted, "but I'm fine."

"You sure?" Winn pressed.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous about this lunch tomorrow."

"It's your first big interview," Winn reminded. "It makes sense."

"No it's not just that. It's something I can't put my finger on. Something about Riley."

Winn nodded. "Kara," he said quietly. "Do I need to remind you that you saved the world? I think you'll be fine." He smiled.

"Thanks, Winn."

************************************************************************************

It was 6:00 when Kara finally had a list of questions she felt good about. Most people had left but she knew Cat would still be there. She wandered into Cat's office and found her seated on the balcony, drink in hand.

"Hey," Kara said quietly, as she sat down beside her.

"Ready for tomorrow?" Cat asked.

"Nervous," Kara replied.

Cat nodded. "Maybe you'll feel more confident once you've got that suit on."

Kara shook her head. "I'm second guessing myself. Do you really think people will feel comfortable enough to be open and honest with me when I'm Supergirl?"

Cat smiled. "I do," she answered.

"But you're... different."

Cat chuckled. "Kara, you're still you when you're in that suit and I know you can do anything you set your mind to. Your capacity for empathy never ceases to amaze me."

"Thanks," Kara said. "It's just... Sometimes I wish I didn't have to have two identities, you know? I want to be able to talk to Riley about her career, but also her impact on my life on Alex's. Sometimes it's really hard to separate my selves."

Cat looked at her sympathetically. She thought for a moment. "Well, there's no reason you couldn't have two conversations with her, if you really wanted."

"Don't you think that'd be risky?"

"Depends how you do it," Cat answered. "Go interview her tomorrow as Supergirl. Ask your questions. Get your story. But if you still feel like you have some unfinished business when you leave, once the story is published reach out to her as Kara," she said with a shrug. "You can tell her you saw the story in CatCo and you wanted to reach out to thank her."

Kara nodded. "Thanks," she paused, "Cat," she said with a smile. "You always know what to do." 


End file.
